Darnell Cookman Middle/High School

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Best English teacher ever. Mrs. Lee taught my child in 7, 8, and 9 th grades. She is amazing...not just good. She guided my child, grew her up and taught grammar, literature and testing strategies. From a very low level student, my child is now excelling because of Mrs. Lee's care and attention. She will graduate this year and go to UF. Mrs. Lee had to leave. What a loss for Darnell. I hope she will return for my 8th grade son. Ms. Lee looked after all the kids who went through her class. She is strict but loving. She gets it done.

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: April 21, 2022

Posted: August 31, 2020

professional and excellent always friendly and understanding. thank you Darnell Cookman for every thing

Posted: August 31, 2020

Posted: August 31, 2020

Posted: August 31, 2020

when my grand attended this school leader ship was out front and very effective with the student's to work hard on finishing assignments

Posted: August 31, 2020

Posted: August 31, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

Teachers are invested in your students. Many have been here for several years and have decades of teaching experience. The teachers care about the academic, social, and emotional well being of your student.

Posted: August 29, 2020

Although these students are from various backgrounds and parts of Jacksonville, you can always pick out a DC student in a crowd because they are usually the ones doing the right thing.

Posted: August 29, 2020

The current administration has been very receptive to feedback from families and have a strong interest in seeing your student succeed.

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

DC promotes a culture of inclusivity and if bullying is brought to the attention of teachers or admin, it is addressed appropriately. But every school has its cliques and unfortunately, not all students are raised in an environment that teaches them to treat others like they want to be treated.

Posted: August 29, 2020

Excellent -My student has been in DC for 5 years now and I think it is one of the best schools in the district. She has felt very supported and done well there. I have enjoyed being actively involved with the school.

Posted: August 29, 2020

Be prepared for lots of homework. To do well here, you must have discipline and structure.

Posted: August 29, 2020

As a parent they get a 10 due the overall communication with parents

Posted: August 29, 2020

Always callenging the kids. Not soft on them.

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: August 29, 2020

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

Posted: June 7, 2017

I have been a student at Darnell for 3 years, all in middle school, and even though I really liked it and most of my teachers were awesome, not all aspects were the best. :)

Posted: April 5, 2017

This could be a great school. But the lack of communication and lack of attention is abhorrent. Homework is too much of students grades, there's hours of it every night, when students don't turn it in (but do generally well in their classes) they will fail. When they begin to fail, they will receive no remediation, despite a warning letter being sent home that an action plan will be sent "shortly". That action plan never comes, your student still struggles, and they are ignored. Disruptive bomb threats throughout the year from students and random strangers lead to a schizophrenic learning experience.

Do not send gifted students here. None of my student's fellow gifted students are doing well.

The only reason this school has a high graduation rate is the fact that they will fail out anyone who doesn't meet their standards. Avoid at all costs.

Posted: April 5, 2017

Students seem to get along and a community sense is fostered.

Posted: April 5, 2017

This school is billed as accepting gifted students, they have no actual experience teaching gifted students.

Posted: April 5, 2017

Mass communications sent to parents frequently. Which is okay for general information.

Posted: April 5, 2017

This school develops high stress levels and PTSD.

Posted: April 5, 2017

Teachers are overloaded and cannot effectively handle gifted students unique needs.

Posted: April 5, 2017

Hours of homework and countless online assignments right out of the barn door for 6th graders is not acceptable.

Posted: April 30, 2015

I really like this school. I'm in 8th grade and this is my first year. The reason I enjoy this school is because of the teachers and clubs. The teachers are rigorously involved in trying to provide you with the most knowledge possible. The teachers are very patient with the children. They also offer tutoring and/or extra credit. The clubs they have include Key Club, GSA, and Stitch Club etc. They embrace everyone, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation. Some of the notable teachers include Mr. Sowell, Mrs. Rowan, Mrs. Magby, and Mr. Pickens. Some warnings for newcomers of the 8th grade; Mr. Pickens yells a lot so do not test him, Ms. Rankin doesn't put in grades, and work hard in Mrs. Magby's class!

Posted: March 24, 2015

This school so fun we be turnt but the teachers keep us on track i in the 6th grade and there's so much for us to do but its one teacher who told us"if i put ya'll in a box i don't know if you'll be able to get out and she's always in our face yelling the teachers can be harsh but they all have a good side TURN UP

Posted: December 17, 2014

I really enjoy attending this school. I have been here for 2 years and it's soooo much better than my previous school. I have made several friends and I feel very safe here. The teachers are very nice, and I know the school work is harder but they are preparing me for college!

Posted: June 17, 2014

very rigorous and impossible to pass unless you have lots of time to study and the necessary dedication to pass.

Posted: April 20, 2014

Your child must have the ability and maturity to learn on his/her own and keep up with the fast-paced workload. I finally will be pulling them next year, going to either private or a charter school. Unfortunately it has declined over the years. There are some major issues that need resolution. It just does not have the ability to provide an education for children anymore. To be honest, I think the school is putting more effort on a fake reputation, then the education and development of the children. My children have said for a long time that when visitors come to inspect what is going on they have to act as if nothing is wrong. With the increase of violence, lack of guidance, ridiculous class sizes (70+ students in the electives, I am not exaggerating!) and a large amount of students failing this school does not get my recommendation anymore. It is sad as they really have a great program for the medical arts. Please do your research, call the school board, ask about the dropout rate or how many students request to go back to their neighborhood schools. You would be shocked. These are not students that are unintelligent, etc. Many go from 4.0 GPAs to failing.

Posted: December 21, 2013

Not exactly the best school ever, although perhaps good compared to some other schools. Some of the teachers are alright, but others either don't teach or don't seem to care. A lot of the better teachers and staff are leaving, though, and DC needs more clubs and the such. Also, to me there is too much focus on "medical" (so that students are watching bloody surgeries in 7th grade) and not enough on other aspects, which is why DC can't ever get past JWJ in competitions. Some of the teachers can be nice, though some of the kids aren't so great. That said, some of the kids and some of the teachers are also good, though DC isn't as good as I wanted it to be. And though it might not be the best school, there's still separation between Gifted and other students, and it has a magnet program, and it's still better than a lot of schools. It may be easier than JWJ for the middle school, though there aren't as many opportunities. There are also fewer sports available, and not as much school spirit as I'd like to see, perhaps because many of the people aren't being satisfied.

Posted: October 4, 2013

As a sixth grader starting school I really don't like the school it has bully it is just not a good school to go to for a sixth grade to start I just don't like the school I hate Darnell Cookman. Teachers don't keep track of time makes us late for our. Next class. Unprofessionalism.

Posted: October 1, 2013

As a 9th grader at Darnell Cookman , i believe it's not such a bad school at all. Some people are complaining saying the teachers give too much work , well yeah i agree but do you realize every homework they give us , if you do it right , it's good for you . You succeeding at that school ensures you that you'll have a successful future. Some kids are complaining about how the high the high schoolers ruin the experience but i strongly disagree. If you don't step on their way and just go to your classes on time , then you don't have time for them to be 'bullying' you. Another thing , some complain about the teachers. As of now My teachers are Mr.percy (AP human geo) , he's alright. He gives you notes to take and if you do it right ,you will succeed in his class . The only teacher i don't like is mrs.roche and thats because she doesn't teach anything . She gives you classwork ,you do it ,GOOD !, you have a test next period. Anyways , Darnell cookman Is awesome , i mean , if you want an awesome future , then you'll love it

Posted: May 19, 2013

this school is cool ..I am a student at darnell and its a litte hard but there are people that help u like teachers and friends .

Posted: April 19, 2013

My child has been at DC for 4 years, she begged to attend high school there since she went through middle school. She regrets it very much. She has begged me to pull her out, but it is impossible at this point because of the magnet application process. I am afraid that she will lose her magnet opportunities. The HS vice principal does not ever listen to the children and he will always take the teacher's side no matter what. The principal is more involved I the middle school than the HS. They should separate the two schools and have two principals. Maybe that way they could put a little effort into the hs. The middle school experience was wonderful, the middle school Vice principal is amazing and the MS counselors are caring and committed. There is too much of a turnover in teachers, and that should tell you something. The best teachers from ms are leaving to go other places. It is unfortunate, but they need to do something to make the kids happier. The work load is too much and the teachers just pile on the homework instead of teaching in class. There needs to be more clubs offered and they need to start having hs sports soon. Do something to make your hs students happy.

Posted: April 12, 2013

This is the best school ever the teachers are nice mostly.though the high schoolers mess everything up for the middle

Posted: April 9, 2013

I DONT LIKE IT YOU HAVE TO GET ACCEPTED THE STUDENTS BEHAVIOR IS TERRIBLE IM NEVER TEACHING THERE AGAIN

Posted: October 27, 2012

this school is great and everyone that is complaining about this school just can't handle the work and if you can't handle the work then GET OUT, you're not wanted and if you have a problem talk to a staff member instead of coming here to complain.

Posted: August 28, 2012

This school is ok. They have a nice medical program, but if you don't have an interest in medical I wouldn't bother applying. It's not all do bad but medical is good if you have an interest in it.

Posted: June 17, 2012

I am a student here at Darnell Cookman and have been coming here for 2 years going on 3 and I enjoy it here. The classes are good especially for earning high-school credits in 7th and 8th grade. MOST (not all) of the teachers here care about you and your grade and work as hard as they can to help you pass. However, if you come to Darnell Cookman and slack off by not doing projects and homework you will have a hard time here and will not enjoy your experience very much.